The present invention relates to electronic devices and, more particularly, to fuse programmable semiconductor devices.
Fuse option circuits are used for various purposes in semiconductor integrated circuits. For example, fuse option circuits are widely used for storage of chip ID (identification), repair of a defect cell of a semiconductor memory, and voltage trimming for setting an optimum internal voltage.
Techniques for programming fuse option circuits include laser blowing and electric blowing. Laser blowing typically involved blowing fuses using a laser beam. Electric blowing typically involves changing a resistance value of a fuse by applying a certain amount of current to the fuse. Electric blowing may be used even after chip packaging using what is called an electrical fuse (e-fuse) method. A fuse Read Only Memory (ROM) is typically programmed in a test procedure, not during the fabrication process or by the end user of the device. Accordingly, the amount of data programmed in the fuse ROM may be limited.